BATTLE ROYALE (2000) Limited Edition 4K UHD Blu-ray Review

BATTLE ROYALE (2000) Limited Edition 4K UHD Blu-ray Review

The kids of Third Year Class-B Shiroiwa Junior High School are back, in a brand new UHD restoration of the classic cult shocker adapted from the controversial novel by Koushun Takami. Playing like a turbo-charged hybrid of LORD OF THE FLIES and THE MOST DANGEROUS GAME, the final completed work by veteran yakuza film director Kinji Fukasaku (BATTLES WITHOUT HONOR AND HUMANITY, GRAVEYARD OF HONOR) helped launch a new wave of appreciation for Asian cinema in the 21st century.

Presenting an alternate dystopian vision of turn-of-the-millennium Japan, BATTLE ROYALE follows the 42 junior high school students selected to take part in the government’s annual BATTLE ROYALE programme, established as an extreme method of addressing concerns about juvenile delinquency. Dispatched to a remote island, they are each given individual weapons (ranging from Uzis and machetes to pan lids and binoculars), food and water, and the order to go out and kill one other. Every player is fitted with an explosive collar around their neck, imposing a strict three-day time limit on the deadly games in which there can only be one survivor. Overseeing the carnage is ‘Beat’ Takeshi Kitano (SONATINE, HANA-BI, ZATOICHI) as the teacher pushed to the edge by his unruly charges.

Also included in the set is the incendiary sequel BATTLE ROYALE II, the directing debut of Kenta Fukasaku (after his father passed away during production), in which a new class of delinquents are recruited by the government to hunt down the survivor of the deadly games of the first film.

Thank-you Arrow Video for this superb release! Up until now I have had to make do with a Tartan Video DVD copy that I bought back when it was first made available to buy in the UK. I found the picture quality rather naff, almost as naff as a standard video transfer, but thanks to you guys it’s now available in a pristine 4K UHD format affording me, and of course others, the opportunity to savour this controversial masterpiece in all its chaotic gory glory!

Cited by film-maker Quentin Tarantino as not only the best film he had seen in the past two decades but as his favourite film ever, BATTLE ROYALE, to those amongst you unfamiliar to its brutish charms, is HUNGER GAMES but with bite. Actually it’s a shame those pesky HUNGER GAMES books and films clogged up the public consciousness as they did because I feel those sanitised, distilled versions of Kinji Fukasaku’s flick rob it of some of its originality.

BATTLE ROYALE became a cultural phenomenon upon its original release, earning critical acclaim, and for a short while it also became the highest grossing Japanese-language film. It is also hugely influential, especially on popular culture, and has built up a considerable cult following over the past twenty years. The film created a debate over government action on media violence on its home turf, stirring up the sort of controversy that was similar to that afforded Kubrick’s A CLOCKWORK ORANGE in the United Kingdom. However, and as we know, controversy helps increase public awareness and makes more people curious to see it, and so they should!

For my money the Special Edition Director’s Cut of BATTLE ROYALE is my preferred version, fleshing out character’s backstories and consequently making a little more sense than the Original Theatrical Version. Give both a look and you’ll see what I mean. In either version the film remains a tense, tragic, brutal mix of teen melodrama and violence that retains the same power it wielded two decades ago. There’s so many moments to savour that it deserves repeated viewings. It’s hugely compelling stuff, however the less said about the messy sequel the better, however don’t let that distract you from purchasing this limited edition set which is arguably the first essential film-fan purchase of 2021!

4K ULTRA HD LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS

• Brand new 4K restoration of the Original Theatrical Version and Special Edition Director’s Cut of Battle Royale from the original camera negative by Arrow Films, approved by Kenta Fukasaku

• 4K (2160p) UHD Blu-ray presentation of both versions of Battle Royale in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible)

• High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation of the Battle Royale II: Requiem theatrical cut and the Battle Royale II: Revenge extended cut

• Original 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio and 2.0 stereo audio

• Optional English subtitles

• Original soundtrack CD for Battle Royale [Limited Edition Exclusive]

• Kinji Fukasaku: Man of Rage, an exclusive 120-page monograph on the director by Japanese cinema expert Tom Mes [Limited Edition Exclusive]

• Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new essays by Matt Alt and Anne Billson and archival articles

• Exclusive Battle Royale collectors’ Trump Card set [Limited Edition Exclusive]

• Reversible poster with new artwork [Limited Edition Exclusive]

DISC ONE – BATTLE ROYALE: ORIGINAL THEATRICAL VERSION (4K UHD BLU-RAY)

• Brand new audio commentary by critics Tom Mes and Jasper Sharp

• Coming of Age: Battle Royale at 20, an exclusive new 42-minute documentary about the legacy of Battle Royale

• Bloody Education: Kenta Fukasaku on Battle Royale, a brand new exclusive interview with the film’s producer and screenwriter

• The Making of Battle Royale: The Experience of 42 High School Students, documentary featuring footage from the shooting of the film and cast and crew discussions

• The Slaughter of 42 High School Students, a look behind the scenes of the shoot

• Behind the scenes footage with comments from the cast and crew

• Filming on Set, a look at the shooting of key scenes from the film

• Conducting Battle Royale with the Warsaw National Philharmonic, archive footage of Masamichi Amano conducting the soundtrack rehearsal

DISC TWO – BATTLE ROYALE: SPECIAL EDITION DIRECTOR’S CUT (4K UHD BLU-RAY)

• Shooting the Special Edition, on-location featurette with footage of the cast and crew reuniting for the shoot of the Special Edition

• Royale Rehearsals, featurette on Kinji Fukasaku directing the film’s young cast

• Masamichi Amano Conducts Battle Royale, archive featurette

• Takeshi Kitano Interview, filmed on location with the Japanese star

• The Correct Way to Fight in Battle Royale, instructional video explaining the rules of the game

• The Correct Way to Make Battle Royale: Birthday Version, a new version of the original instructional video made to celebrate Kinji Fukasaku’s birthday

• Premiere Press Conference, preceding the film’s first public screening

• Tokyo International Film Festival Presentation, with footage from the gala screening at the Tokyo International Film Festival

• Opening Day at the Marunouchi Toei Movie Theatre, archive footage of the Japanese opening

• Special Effects Comparison showing how the film’s violent killings were created

• Original Trailers and TV spots

• Kinji Fukasaku trailer reel, a collection of original trailers for Fukasaku’s classic yakuza films from the 70s

• Image Gallery

DISC THREE – BATTLE ROYALE II: REQUIEM (BLU-RAY)

• Bloody Graduation: Kenta Fukasaku on Battle Royale II, an exclusive brand new interview with the director and screenwriter of Battle Royale II

• Behind the Scenes of Battle Royale II, on-location featurette during the film’s shoot

• Rehearsals footage of the auditions and pre-production rehearsals

• War and Struggle, featurette of the cast discussing their thoughts on war

• Alternate Piano Scene

• The Recording of the Music Score, archive footage of Masamichi Amano and the Warsaw National Philharmonic Orchestra

• Opening Gala with The Orchestra, featuring a public introduction by the director and main cast

• Battle Royale II Premiere, a featurette on the film’s first screening at the Marunouchi Toei Movie Theatre

• Trailers and TV spots

• Image gallery

DISC FOUR – BATTLE ROYALE II: REVENGE (BLU-RAY)

• A Tribute to Kinji Fukasaku, featuring scenes of Kinji Fukasaku on the location of Battle Royale II

• Kinji Fukasaku’s 73rd Birthday: A Speech by Kenta Fukasaku, paying public tribute to his father

DISC FIVE – BATTLE ROYALE (SOUNDTRACK CD)

• CD featuring the complete score to Battle Royale by Masamichi Amano and the Warsaw National Philharmonic Orchestra